Scottish salmon sold to Tesco, Co-op and Sainsbury’s is crawling with 20 times the acceptable level of SEA LICE

Guidelines suggest there should be no more than one louse per farmed fish but some of the salmons were found to have up to 23 lice each

By Hollie Borland, Digital Consumer Reporter

30th October 2017,11:09 am

Updated: 30th October 2017,1:19 pm

SALMON sold to three British supermarkets have been found to be riddled with lice up to 20 times the industry guidelines.

Suppliers who sell Scottish salmon to Tesco, Co-op and Sainsbury’s have been found to have some of the worst affected farms, according to new data obtained by the Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS).

Salmons swim in close schools on fish farms where infections can spread quickly

Fish from Marine Harvest, who supply to Sainsbury’s, was also named on the list.

Infected salmon are either got rid of or treated with pesticides which are not harmful to consumers, but since 2009, the lice seem to have become resistant to it.

The parasites can grow to be the size of a pea and lay thousands of eggs through their short lives. Once a fish is infected, infestations of sea lice can spread quickly.

Now, the S&TCS is calling on Scottish ministers to end their support of lice-riddled fish farming “in the face of frankly awful environmental performance”.

Guy Linley-Adams, Solicitor for S&TC Scotland said: “We have shared our ideas for change with Marine Scotland and hope Scottish Ministers will now work with environmental and conservation bodies to map out a sustainable future for the industry that no longer damages the precious Scottish marine environment and the species within it.

“We also call upon the industry itself to end both its tobacco-industry style denials about the damage it causes and the “tit for tat” accusations it repeatedly makes, in favour of embracing the positive change that must now come.”

Infected fish generally don’t make it into the supermarkets as the problem is usually identified and treated before it is sold in the shops.

Grieg Seafood said that they have accepted that the sea lice levels at some of their sites are ‘too high’ and said: “We are already following an extensive programme of action to reduce the prevalence of these parasites.

“To achieve this we are using a raft of new and established technologies to control sea lice.”

The S&TCS is calling on the Scottish government to stop supporting the farms where fish are found to be riddled with lice

A spokesperson for the British Retail Consortium, who represent retailers in the UK, said: “BRC members are committed to responsible sourcing, which protects the welfare of fish as well as the wider marine environment, and will review this new data from the Scottish Government.

“The seafood industry, including retailers, agree on the need to accelerate the widespread adoption of effective sea lice controls, and the Scottish aquaculture industry have set very high standards to adhere to.

“Whilst a range of alternative technologies and approaches are being trialled by the aquaculture industry, there is no single solution to tackling this problem.

“Retailers have controls in place to ensure the products they sell meet rigid quality controls, and they have ongoing engagement with their suppliers to address these challenges.”

A spokesperson from Co-op said: “The Co-op is currently supporting ongoing industry research to find an environmentally friendly approach to the problem.”

Steve Bracken from Marine Harvest Scotland promises consumers that the firm is focused on reducing lice levels “by investing in cleaner fish production and equipment to physically remove lice from our salmon.”

A spokesperson for The Scottish Salmon Company said: “Like other producers, we experienced naturally occurring biological challenges at some of our southern sites. In line with best practice, treatments took place and all of the affected sites are now fallow.”

Sea lice isn’t just affecting farms in Scotland, where salmon farms in the US, Canada, Norway and Chile have also reported major problems thanks to the parasites.

The Sun Online has contacted Sainsbury’s who are yet to comment.

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